Introduction

Epoch III is characterised by the rebuilding of the railways after the second world war. Many pre-war steam engines and coaches, construction of the last new built steam engines, new generations of diesel locomotives and new innovative electric locomotives. The first mainlines which were electrified, the construction of a whole new generation of express train coaches which we now still see in Germany.

In epoch III the returning of a couple of famous trains took place. Like the Rheingold, first with pre-war coaches but from 1962 again exclusive with special built express train coaches. Also in the new developed F-train network, where the DB offered good connections mainly for business travellers between the major German cities, a couple of important trains returned like the Hanseat, Rheinblitz and the Blauer Enzian with the old Henschel Wegmann Zug. And of course in 1957 the famous TEE network started.

On 8 May 1945 the second world war ended. The railway installations and the rolling stock from the once so proud German railways was devastated. In particular the important passenger stations and cargo stations were destroyed. In the last years of the war the railways were all the time one of the targets of allied bombings. Also the maintenance facilities were devastated. So the rebuilding of the railway system had a high priority in the years after the war. The few still running locomotives, coaches and wagons were confiscated by the allied forces.

A couple of weeks after the ending of the war there were a couple of relations in service. These trains were riding on short relations and offered no connections with other services, and they were running highly irregular. The allied forces acknowledged soon that the railway system was a vital factor in the transport of troops. The railways were soon controled and managed by the military government, but were soon handed over to Germany itself. This was done on 7 September 1949. Because the rebuilt of rolling stock was unthinkable that time, attention was paid on the repair of existing rolling stock. Each repairable locomotive was repaired and used. A couple of locomotives were partly new constructed. Also the coaches and cargo wagons were repaired to what extent it was possible.

Nevertheless already in 1950 the DB started with the construction of new steam engines. These new steam engines were meant for services in local trains and for shunting services. The steam engines BR 23 and BR 82 were built. For the long-distance services the steam engine of class BR 10 was built, only two units of this class were built. In 1959 the BR 23 was built as last steam engine of the DB. The steam engine had no future anymore for the DB.

For services on non-electrified mainlines the diesel locomotive V 200 was built, and delivered in 1953. This diesel locomotive had two diesel engines with each 1100 hp. At the end of the fifties the DB built the V 100 (later 211/212/213) in large quantities for services in local trains. The locomotives replaced the BR 38 and BR 50 steam engines.

For the local trains the DB ordered in 1952 the famous Uerdinger railbuses BR 795/798. These railbuses have saved many inefficient local railway line from being closed.